Spoke-fastener.



W. JETT. 'SPOKE FASTBNER. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11 1909.

Patented 0ct.26, 1909.

WILLIAM LAPSLEY JETT, OF FRANKFURT, KENTUCKY.

SPOKE-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

Application filed February 11, 1909. Serial No. 477,479. (ModeL) To allwhom it may concern:

-Be it known that I, \VILLIAM LArsLEY J EIT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Frankfort, in the county of Franklin, State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spok'eFasteners, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and eflicient devicefor tightening spokes when they have become loose in the wheel fellyafter use, and consists in the novel construction hereinafter describedand more particularly pointed out in the accompanying claim.

In order to more fully describe said invention reference will be had tothe accompanying drawings I wherein Figure 1 represents in verticalcentral section a form of my said fastener, showing the same in positionon a wheel; Fig. 2am elevation of the concave face of said fastenerremoved from the wheel and shown upon a somewhat larger scale than inFig. 1; Fig. 3 a top plan view of said fastener upon a still largerscale, and F ig. 4 a vertical central section of the fastener removedfrom the wheel and shown upon the same scale as in Fig. 2.

In the form of my invention shown it consists of a concave-convex wedge1, tapering from a flat top to a rounded sharp edge 2 at its bottom, andhaving formed on its concave face a flange 3, which is pointed at itsupper end to form a barb l, and then tapered to a point 5 where itterminates near the sharpened lower end of the wedge. This flange ispreferably triangular or wedge-shaped in. cross-section, the base of thetriangle forming the juncture of the flange with the main body ofthc'wedge 1 and the apex a point in a sharpened edge 6 tapering to point5.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a portion of a wheel felly 7, and a spoke 8,retained in its socket by my improved fastener.

To tighten a loose spoke with my inrproved fastener, sald fastener isplaced with its barbed flange next to the spoke and pref- I erably inthe plane in which all the spokes lie, that is, near the center of thefelly instead of near its side, so as to prevent splitting the felly,and then the fastener is driven down until its top asses under-theshoulder of the spoke, as s own in Fig. 1. \Vhen thus placed, thefastener by virtue of its wedge shape will force the spoke tightlyagainst its socket, and in addition to this, the flange 3 will bite intothe spoke to such an extent as to materially expand said spoke in itssocket thereby further tightening the same. The barb 4 prevents thefastener from working up out of place.

The flange 3 is preferably integral with the main body of the fastener,the whole being preferably made of one piece of metal.

Having thus described a form of my said invention, and, withoutconfining myself to the specific form shown herein further thanexpressly stated in the claim, what I claim is:

A spoke fastener, comprising a concaveconvex wedge having formed on itsconcave face an elongated flange extending longitudinally of said wedgeand pointed at its top to form a barb, the said [lango beingsubstantially wedge-shaped in cross-section and tapering to a point atits lower end, substantiall y as described.

WI LL-[AM LA ISLEY JETT.

Witnesses i L. C. WALLACE, 'l. H. CROCKE'I'I.

